Category: John

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Our Substitute

Yesterday I took our thoughts from Jesus’ teaching in John 10. He refers to Himself as the shepherd and that He came to give us abundant life in contrast to the thief who is working to steal, kill and destroy.

Jesus goes on further in that chapter to say this, ” “I am the shepherd who cares for the sheep. I know my sheep just as the Father knows me. And my sheep know me just as I know the Father. I give my life for these sheep.” John 10:14-15 ERV

Jesus willingly laid down His life for us!

Yes, He loved us that much. He willingly gave up His life to give us life. When he was dragged before Pilate, He kept quiet and offered no testimony in His defense. If He had, the power of His word would have acquitted Him. What a powerful love!! He became our substitute.

Substitute: Putting a person or thing in the place of another.

“The fact is, it was our suffering he took on himself; he bore our pain. But we thought that God was punishing him, that God was beating him for something he did. 5 But he was being punished for what we did. He was crushed because of our guilt. He took the punishment we deserved, and this brought us peace. We were healed because of his pain. 6 We had all wandered away like sheep. We had gone our own way. And yet the LORD put all our guilt on him.

7 He was treated badly, but he never protested. He said nothing, like a lamb being led away to be killed. He was like a sheep that makes no sound as its wool is being cut off. He never opened his mouth to defend himself. 8 He was taken away by force and judged unfairly. The people of his time did not even notice that he was killed. [b] But he was put to death [c] for the sins of his [d] people. 9 He had done no wrong to anyone. He had never even told a lie. But he was buried among the wicked. His tomb was with the rich.

10 But the LORD was pleased with this humble servant who suffered such pain. [e] Even after giving himself as an offering for sin, he will see his descendants and enjoy a long life. He will succeed in doing what the LORD wanted. 11 After his suffering he will see the light, [f] and he will be satisfied with what he experienced.

The Lord says, ‘My servant, who always does what is right, will make his people right with me; he will take away their sins. 12 For this reason, I will treat him as one of my great people. I will give him the rewards of one who wins in battle, and he will share them with his powerful ones. I will do this because he gave his life for the people. He was considered a criminal, but the truth is, he carried away the sins of many. Now he will stand before me and speak for those who have sinned.” Isaiah 53: 4-12 ERV

The Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, died for you! He gave His sinless pure life as a substitute for your sinful life. He took your place! If you haven’t received Him as your Savior, do so today. There’ll be no one else who has or will love you like Jesus.

If you have accepted your wonderful gift of salvation, then praise Him today for all He has done.

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The Shepherd at the Gate

Jesus was called the Lamb of God because He came to be the sinless sacrifice, the atonement for our sins. He was meek and humbled Himself to death.

Yet the lamb became the Shepherd. He recognized that we were vulnerable as lambs and promised to be our good shepherd.

“Jesus said: I tell you for certain that only thieves and robbers climb over the fence instead of going in through the gate to the sheep pen. 2-3But the gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and he goes in through it. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out. 4When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice. 5The sheep will not follow strangers. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice, and they run away. 6Jesus told the people this story. But they did not understand what he was talking about.

7Jesus said: I tell you for certain that I am the gate for the sheep. 8Everyone who came before me was a thief or a robber, and the sheep did not listen to any of them. 9I am the gate. All who come in through me will be saved. Through me they will come and go and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” John 10:1-10 ERV

In this parable Jesus is trying to make his ministry and purpose easy to understand. Since raising sheep was a common profession in that day, Jesus used something they were familiar with to teach his lesson.

At night the sheep were kept in a gated penned for their protection and early each morning the shepherds would come and lead their sheep out to pasture. The sheep had become accustomed to the shepherd’s voice and so when he called, they would follow. They wouldn’t follow someone who would sneak in and lead them astray.

Jesus was telling them that if they spent time with Him, listening to His word and getting to know Him, that they would follow Him and keep His commandments and He would lead them “in green pastures” (Psalm 23).

He also went on to say that He was the gate of the sheep pen. This was the first line of defense in their protection – He would provide for them and keep them safe. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” (Psalm 23)

Jesus said His purpose was to give us life and life more abundantly. He also warned that there is a thief that comes to kill, steal and destroy – that’s the devil. Everything that falls in one of those categories – stealing, killing and destroying – doesn’t come from God.

Those things that bring life, abundance and fullness to life comes from God. “Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing.” James 1:17

Follow the right voice today – He will lead you on the right path and He’ll never leave you or forsake you.

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Faithful & True

Have you been going through a real struggle lately? Feeling alone and as if no one understands? You are not alone.

God is faithful! He is always there to help in time of need.

“The Lord’s word is true, and he is faithful in everything he does. 5 He loves goodness and justice. The Lord’s faithful love fills the earth.” Psalm 33:4-5 ERV

God the Father is a God of faith. Jesus Christ walked this earth as a man of faith. The Holy Spirit’s presence fills us so we can be men and women of faith.

God the Father spoke “Light be and there was light”. He didn’t speak hoping it would be. He spoke in faith.

Jesus lived a life of faith while He was here. He pleased the Father.

“So he said to them, ‘You will lift up the Son of Man. Then you will know that I Am. You will know that whatever I do is not by my own authority. You will know that I say only what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me. I always do what pleases him. So he has not left me alone.’ 30 While he was saying these things, many people believed in him.” John 8:28-30 ERV

The writer of Hebrews tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God; so, if Jesus pleased the Father, it was because he was living by faith.

“But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that he rewards everyone who searches for him.” Hebrews 11:6

When we become children of God, we are saved by faith in God’s grace. That faith is in what God has done, not in our own works but in God’s grace, his kindness.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit who indwells us “… is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

Faith isn’t something we have to WORK to get, it’s something we have been given freely by God the Father. It’s a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives and like all fruit it will grow. It starts with a seed and matures.

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3

He has given to each of us “the measure of faith”. It’s not based on our effort, our goodness, our holiness but faith is given to us by God. Even if we feel that we only have small faith, Jesus said it’s enough to move mountains. Once again, God kind of faith isn’t in our abilities to perform but in His power.

When faith is in ourselves; in our works; in our abilities; in our employer then it isn’t faith at all. We put our faith in the Father, the same faith we used when we were born again – it was based on God and his power to save and on the love of Jesus who died and rose again.

When our faith is properly placed in God alone, we will walk by faith, not by sight and we will see mountains move by the power of God.

He is faithful and true!

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Good Full Life

My mind drifted this morning, gently drifted. My first thoughts were of the Father’s loving protection through the night. Thankful for peaceful sleep. And as I sat quietly, in my chair, I imagined the green pastures and still waters that our Good Shepherd leads us too.

I am there. One of His many sheep, finding rest and comfort under the Shepherd’s supervision. As I look around the pasture I see familiar faces; you too have come to find rest from life’s weariness and distractions.

Don’t be in a hurry. Rest, be restored. Be still and know that the Lord God Almighty has brought you here to rest.

I love the way the Bible intertwines its teachings. David said the Lord is my shepherd and hundreds of years later the Lord said I am the Good Shepherd.

“I am the gate. All who come in through me will be saved. Through me they will come and go and find pasture.

10 A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so everyone would have life, and have it fully. 11  I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep.” John 10:9-11 CEV

Life to the fullest!

That’s impossible to do without Christ. That’s why He came.

“A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” John 10:10 ERV

This verse was spoken by Jesus. He was teaching that some would come who didn’t care for the sheep at all. Some would come with a motive of self-interest and would come to steal, kill and destroy.

But, Jesus said he came to give us life and life to the fullest. Jesus was so committed to us having life in Him that He was willing to give up His life for us.

Look at this Old Testament verse:

“But he was being punished for what we did. He was crushed because of our guilt. He took the punishment we deserved, and this brought us peace. We were healed because of his pain. 6 We had all wandered away like sheep. We had gone our own way. And yet the Lord put all our guilt on him.

7 He was treated badly, but he never protested. He said nothing, like a lamb being led away to be killed. He was like a sheep that makes no sound as its wool is being cut off. He never opened his mouth to defend himself. 8 He was taken away by force and judged unfairly. The people of his time did not even notice that he was killed. But he was put to death for the sins of his people.” Isaiah 53:5-8 ERV

The Shepherd died to give life to His sheep.

He died to provide forgiveness of sin; He was beaten to bring us healing; He took on our mental anguish to bring us peace. He never opened His mouth to defend Himself. He died so we could live!

We are only a few weeks away from celebrating Easter, resurrection Sunday but before we could rejoice in the resurrection, we have to recognize the crucifixion. We have to see the Shepherd die; an innocent Savior dying for our sins.

Look what He took to the cross. Are we living with guilt, worry, addiction, illness, sin? Have we let the enemy steal and destroy?

Today, hear the words of the Good Shepherd. I am come to give you life; life to the full, life forevermore!

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Where’s Your Treasure?

Do you love to give? Giving of your time, your talents, your skills and abilities to help others…did you know that is something the Lord has put in your heart to do? When you love to give you are following in the Father’s footsteps.

“For God so loved the world that He gave…” John 3:16. He gave what was most valuable and precious to Him, His Son. For what? So that He could keep us from perishing! Giving is a sign of love.

The children of Israel had been unfaithful to God when they built the golden calf. God had forgiven them for their selfishness and disobedience and was still willing to make His home with them. Moses had spent another 40 days on Mount Sinai receiving the instructions from the Lord on how to build the Tabernacle and now he was presenting that to the people.

“Moses told the people of Israel that the Lord had said: I would welcome an offering from anyone who wants to give something. You may bring gold, silver, or bronze; 6 blue, purple, or red wool; fine linen; goat hair; 7 tanned ram skin or fine leather; acacia wood; 8 olive oil for the lamp; sweet-smelling spices for the oil of dedication and for the incense; or 9 onyx stones or other gems for the sacred vest and breast piece. 10 If you have any skills, you should use them to help make what I have commanded:…” Exodus 35:4-10 CEV

They weren’t forced to bring a gift. They gave willingly because it was a house for the Lord. Look what happened.

“Moses finished speaking, and everyone left. 21 Then those who wanted to bring gifts to the Lord, brought them to be used for the sacred tent, the worship services, and the priestly clothes. 22 Men and women came willingly and gave all kinds of gold jewelry such as pins, earrings, rings, and necklaces. 23 Everyone brought their blue, purple, and red wool, their fine linen, and their cloth made of goat hair, as well as their ram skins dyed red and their fine leather. 24 Anyone who had silver or bronze or acacia wood brought it as a gift to the Lord…In fact, so much money was being given each morning, 4 that finally everyone stopped working 5 and said, ‘Moses, there is already more money than we need for what the Lord has assigned us to do.’ 6 So Moses sent word for the people to stop giving, and they did. 7 But there was already more than enough to do what needed to be done.” Exodus 35:20-36:7 CEV

Many times we get hung up on “giving” to the Lord. All that preacher wants is my money! No, God wants your heart – when you love you willingly give; no strings attached, you just give.

The Apostle Paul gave this instruction:

“Remember this: The one who plants few seeds will have a small harvest. But the one who plants a lot will have a big harvest. 7 Each one of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give. You should not give if it makes you unhappy or if you feel forced to give. God loves those who are happy to give. 8 And God can give you more blessings than you need, and you will always have plenty of everything. You will have enough to give to every good work. 9 As the Scriptures say, ‘He gives generously to the poor; his goodness will continue forever.’

10 God is the one who gives seed to those who plant, and he gives bread for food. And God will give you spiritual seed and make that seed grow. He will produce a great harvest from your goodness.” II Corinthians 9:6-10 ERV

I’m simply asking you to do today what the Lord asked of the Israelites. Don’t give if your heart is unhappy about it but instead give because you love the One you are giving too! Give joyfully of your finances, your skills, your abilities.

He gave His ALL for you!

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Search The Word

I really enjoy “hidden object” games. Looking for things that are hidden and then remembering them for the next time you come back to that scene – it’s a real challenge and something I just like to do.

That’s how it was when I first really got turned on to God’s word. My goodness, that’s been almost 50 years ago now. I had been raised in church all my life but never really got in and studied the Word for myself.

But after we saw God do a miracle and heal our son, we started searching to find out what the Word said to us and how it would impact our daily lives. I remember so clearly sitting down at our kitchen table with our Bibles, a Strong’s concordance and a legal pad. We began to search out different words and how they had been used throughout the Bible. We would read a verse and then the verses before and after to make sure we saw things in their proper context. The search was on!

I will interject this here. When sharing these thoughts, I tried to be brief, but it is almost impossible to without diminishing the depth of the meaning.

We asked the Lord for understanding of His Word and He gave it to us. One Scripture that I had always heard took on new meaning. “Eye hath not seen or ear heard what has entered into the heart of God and that no one can know God’s thoughts” but in reading, truly reading the Scripture with the Holy Spirit guiding I found that there was more to that verse than how it had always been quoted.

“We teach wisdom to people who are mature, but the wisdom we teach is not from this world. It is not the wisdom of the rulers of this world, who are losing their power. 7 But we speak God’s secret wisdom that has been hidden from everyone until now. God planned this wisdom for our glory. He planned it before the world began. 8 None of the rulers of this world understood this wisdom. If they had understood it, they would not have killed our great and glorious Lord on a cross. 9 But as the Scriptures say,

‘No one has ever seen, no one has ever heard, no one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’

10 But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit knows all things. The Spirit even knows the deep secrets of God. 11 It is like this: No one knows the thoughts that another person has. Only the person’s spirit that lives inside knows those thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit. 12 We received the Spirit that is from God, not the spirit of the world. We received God’s Spirit so that we can know all that God has given us.” I Corinthians 2:6-12 ERV

What had been left out was the part about the Holy Spirit knowing God’s thoughts and He would give us the ability to KNOW all that God has for us. WOW!!! Talk about Hidden Treasures – we had a whole book of God’s thoughts right before us and all we had to do was search them out.

Jesus said the same thing to His disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26

Then there was also Jeremiah “Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12-13

So let me encourage you today to start your own “treasure” hunt but this one isn’t a game. The verse above says we search with all our heart and King Solomon gave instruction this way

“4 Look for wisdom like silver. Search for it like hidden treasure. 5 If you do this, you will understand what it means to respect the LORD, and you will come to know God. 6 The LORD is the source of wisdom; knowledge and understanding come from his mouth. 7 He gives good advice to honest people and shields those who do what is right. 8 He makes sure that people are treated fairly. He watches over his loyal followers. 9 If you listen to him, you will understand what is just and fair and how to do what is right. 10 You will gain wisdom, and knowledge will bring you joy. 11 Planning ahead will protect you, and understanding will guard you.” Proverbs 2:4-11 ERV

I didn’t have a photographic memory so I would write the verses that really spoke to me on an index card. I always had them close at hand until they were in my heart. God’s word changed my life!

His word is more than ancient words on a page. God’s word is life. The Scriptures are God speaking directly to me and to you, life-giving, life-changing treasure that is better than gold!

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The Right Mindset

Looking up – it isn’t a one-time experience or occasional reminder; it is a daily practice.

When Jesus lived on earth, He was limited to the same human traits as we are. He got tired and needed rest, he got hungry and thirsty. He faced rejection by His family, peers and religious elite. He grieved the death of a friend.

However, He overcame those limitations by His faith and trust in the promises of God’s word. He learned the Scriptures as a boy, and He lived them as a man.

When Satan came to tempt Him in His time of weakness Jesus answered him with the word of God. It is written, it is written, it is written.

When He was criticized for His actions, this was His response.

“I came down from heaven to do what God wants, not what I want. ” John 6:38 ERV

Jesus was under the authority of His heavenly Father. Many miracles had been done by the prophets in the Old Testament. The dead had been raised, the leper had been healed, armies had been defeated, the Red Sea had opened, food fell from heaven. Men had survived a fiery furnace. Fire had fallen from heaven.

Countless miracles. And here was Jesus doing the same, but it doesn’t end there.

“ So he came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. 19 So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to obey everything that I have told you to do. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of time.’” Matthew 28:18-20 ERV

Jesus gave His authority to the disciples and to us. The “end of time” hasn’t come yet and so we are to continue the work that Jesus started while He was here. We are to preach, teach, and do the will of God on the earth. We are to make disciples, but we can’t do it in our own power. That’s why Jesus gave us His authority before He left.

Jesus received His power and authority from the Father. We need to have that same mindset.

” If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3 NKJV

We are His disciples, His ambassadors – representatives of Christ on the earth.

We have been given His authority. We need to make His thoughts our thoughts. Let’s have His mindset and touch our world like Jesus did!

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Looking Up

Today, I want to draw your attention to a time when Jesus “looked up”.

Jesus had left the area of Judea just days earlier because the Pharisees were trying to kill him. Now he learned that his dear friend Lazarus was very sick. He told his disciples that they needed to return to Bethany, and they reminded him that the people in that area were against him.

Jesus waited a couple more days and then he told the disciples we MUST go to Bethany, Lazarus is dead. When Jesus arrived he learned that Lazarus had already been in the grave four days. Martha came out to meet Jesus and told him if He had been there, she knew her brother would not be dead.

Do you get the picture? Jesus is grieving over the death of his dear friend. He is just a two mile walk from a town where a mob had tried to kill him just a few days ago and now his friend’s sister is blaming him for her brother’s death. WOW!

The story goes on from there. Lazarus’ other sister, Mary, and the mourners come to where Jesus is. Mary falls at Jesus’ feet and says the same thing, “If you had been here my brother wouldn’t have died.” And now comes the shortest verse in the Bible – Jesus wept.

I think he wept because he felt the grief of the loss of a friend; I think he wept because he was being blamed for that death; I think he wept because the people around him had no faith and hope. But he wept. And then he did something that we all need to do – He looked up!

“Jesus was still terribly upset. So he went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone rolled against the entrance. 39 Then he told the people to roll the stone away. But Martha said, ‘Lord, you know that Lazarus has been dead four days, and there will be a bad smell.’

40 Jesus replied, ‘Didn’t I tell you that if you had faith, you would see the glory of God?’

41 After the stone had been rolled aside, Jesus looked up toward heaven and prayed, ‘Father, I thank you for answering my prayer. 42 I know that you always answer my prayers. But I said this, so that the people here would believe that you sent me.’

43 When Jesus had finished praying, he shouted, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ 44 The man who had been dead came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of burial cloth, and a cloth covered his face. Jesus then told the people, ‘Untie him and let him go.’” John 11:38-44

He looked up to the Father – he reminded himself that God the Father had not abandon him and that even in his grief, the Father was there to bring victory to the situation. He looked up and he thanked the Father for answered prayer. And He knew the purpose of all of this – so that the people would believe!

Jesus moved his attention from the circumstances around Him and looked to the One who changes things.

Jesus called Lazarus from the grave – His words, “Lazarus, come forth” brought the power of God to the situation and Lazarus came walking out of the tomb.

Awesome! Absolutely Awesome!

A kind and loving God brought an end to grieving and despair. He brought life to Lazarus and life to the hope and faith of the people who were there. He can and will still do the same today.

What is it in your life that is dead and needs to be resurrected? Your hope? Your faith? Your health? Your marriage? Your joy? Your finances? What???

Look up to the One who has life giving power – look up and thank Him for resurrection and then be bold like Jesus and call it forth from the grave. King Solomon said Death and life are in the power of the tongue and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21.

Jesus was focused on looking up – we need to do the same!

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Follow His Lead

The words that came from my heart before I even got out of bed this morning were “Father, I want to follow your lead with each step I take. I want to follow, not lead”.

I had a couple of frustrating situations yesterday. Ever have any of those? That let me know I wasn’t following; I was trying to lead. Trusting God’s lead isn’t frustrating, it’s a way of peace.

“God’s way is perfect. The Lord’s promise always proves to be true. He protects those who trust in him. 31 There is no God except the Lord. There is no Rock except our God.
32 God is the one who gives me strength. He clears the path I need to take. 33 He makes my feet as steady as those of a deer. Even on steep mountains he keeps me from falling.
34 He trains me for war so that my arms can bend the most powerful bow.

35 Lord, you have given me your shield to protect me. You support me with your right hand. It is your help that has made me great.” Psalm 18:30-35 ERV

“He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good.” Psalm 23:2 ERV

When we follow the Lord’s leading it’s more reliable than the most accurate GPS. He keeps us from taking the wrong route and making bad turns. He establishes our steps, even on steep mountains.

Yes, He guides our way!

“Your word is like a lamp that guides my steps, a light that shows the path I should take.” Psalm 119:105 ERV

“People can plan what they want to do, but it is the Lord who guides their steps.” Proverbs 16:9 ERV

Our walk with the Lord is guided by the Master.

“Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you a different kind of fishermen. You will bring in people, not fish.” Matthew 4:19 ERV

“My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give my sheep eternal life. They will never die, and no one can take them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28 ERV

And now one last verse for the day.

“People who live following their sinful selves think only about what they want. But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about what the Spirit wants them to do.” Romans 8:5 ERV

My feet are on the floor and very shortly I will be heading out the door to embrace a new day. Join me.

Father, lead us and guide our steps. We determine to be led by the Spirit and follow the Shepherd. Amen and Amen.

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Why Can’t I?

A long list of do’s and don’ts – that’s the way some people see the Bible. They think if they follow the teachings the Lord has given us it will cramp their style, stifle their freedom of creative expression, limit them in their pursuit of happiness. And yet it is just the opposite.

How many of you who are parents have stopped your children from playing in the street; or perhaps you have smacked their hands or their little bottoms when they have reached to touch a hot coal in a campfire or the hot pan on the stove? Maybe you stopped them riding their bikes down the steep hill with the big kids or even prevented them from swimming in the lake when they had no supervision.

Man, you have inflected a lot of restrictions on your kids! You parents are just trying to spoil their fun and stifle their creativity, aren’t you? Not hardly. You know that your love for them drives you to protect them even if they don’t understand.

And so we have God and His instructions in the Bible. They are there to do the same. The first commandment He gave to the children of Israel was

“Do not worship any god except me.” Exodus 20:3 CEV but let’s look at the verses before this.

“God said to the people of Israel: 2 I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves.” verses 1-2 CEV

Why do you think He prefaced verse 3 with 1 & 2? It was a reminder. God was wanting them to remember why they didn’t need any other god. He was the one who delivered them from slavery, He was the one who opened the path across the Red Sea, He was the one who turned bitter water to good and gave them manna every morning and quail at night. He was the one who provided them with warmth from the pillar of fire at night and He was the one who gave them shade from the cloud during the day. He was the one who gave them victory over the enemies in battle!

He was the one who provided for all their needs and He wanted them to remember that He provided for them because He loved them and there was no one else who could take care of them the way He did! He was, He is and always will be the I AM that we need for each day.

The 2nd commandment is very similar – don’t make and/or worship any idols. Plain and simple keep the Lord first place. We might not make idols of gold or silver but we are guilty of worshipping other gods; the gods of pleasure, education, relationships, professional advancement, financial security, health and well-being. When we make these things our primary goals and requirements for happiness, we have God take the back seat and these become our idols.

Jesus taught his disciples a strong lesson in Matthew 6 when he told them they didn’t need to seek after food, clothing, a place to live because the Lord knew they had need of all these things. His instruction was clear

” But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.” Matthew 6:33 CEV

Instead of chasing after things, if we chase after God all these will be added.

God wants us to have a fulfilled life. In fact, Jesus said that He came so we could have life but not just a meager, sad, sullen existence of a life but life more abundantly, to the full, till it overflows!

Seek Him first and all the rest will be added!

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